Portage County is centrally located in Wisconsin and offers a unique value proposition to those who live in, work in, and visit the county. As a midsized community with the advantage of infrastructure, connectivity, service and amenities, Portage County is a place where economic vitality meets quality of life.

Chippewa County, Wisconsin is known for its positive business climate. “We have a stable history of growth and pro-business environment,” says Charlie Walker, President/CEO of The Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation. The EDC is committed to continuing this legacy of business success. “The economic development organization leads the state and we have won many awards in recognition of our innovative programs. We are proud of that.”

In the November 2015 issue of Business in Focus, we spoke with Paul Ehrfurth, Oconto County Economic Development Corporation’s executive director. He talked of the area’s tourist and recreational opportunities, its proximity to Green Bay, Wisconsin and of the multiple economic efforts underway. Now, we are back with Mr. Ehrfurth to concentrate more on economic development and to follow up on some of the initiatives that were in place last November.

Vernon County, Wisconsin is known for its culture of cooperation. Home to a wealth of cooperatives, this can-do community embraces innovation and opportunity while holding on to rural values and neighborly support.

Monroe County, Wisconsin serves up an idyllic, rural lifestyle as well as business opportunity. Home to a long list of leading manufacturers, the county has perfected the knack of maintaining a laidback lifestyle while welcoming industry.

The largest county in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Marquette County serves as a retail and health care hub for the region. As such, Marquette County has all of the services and amenities to support economic growth and a good quality of life.

Nestled among the lakes and forests of northern Michigan, Otsego County is a rapidly growing community known for its tourism as well as its thriving business opportunities. This northern treasure may be off the beaten track, but it has as much to offer as better-known metropolitan destinations…

Since Business in Focus profiled Wisconsin last year, the state has continued to progress along a pro-business path. Chief Executive Magazine ranks Wisconsin 11th on its 2016 Best States for Business list, and 80 percent of business leaders are optimistic about the direction that Wisconsin is headed, according to a WMC annual survey…

Juneau County is located in the state of Wisconsin, just thirty minutes north of the famous Wisconsin Dells area with its scenic glacier-created gorge. Situated three hours from Minneapolis and three and a half hours from Chicago, this well-positioned piece of paradise has the most beautiful landscape filled with bluffs, forests, prairies and lakes.

Like many communities in the rural parts of the Midwest, Marshfield, Wisconsin is well-known for agriculture, particularly dairy. Marshfield boosters, however, make it clear that their region has a lot more to offer than just agricultural products.

In 2000, I began working in marketing for a software development company that was designing applications for the Palm™ handheld computing device that were set to revolutionize the consumer packaged goods industry. At the time, mobile phones were just used for making phones calls, and BlackBerrys® were the “cutting edge” device that allowed users to text…